“A Champion Doesn’t Have the Right to Not Be Competitive” – Lewis Hamilton Warned Over Losing Superior Mercedes F1 Role to Russell

Lewis Hamilton or George Russell? The proven star or the talented prospect? The present or the future? These are the hard questions Mercedes will have to address, eventually. For now, it’s the Lewis Hamilton era. But for how long? Is the real question!

Mercedes camp is in a bit of turmoil, as is their car. With yet another poor performance from Lewis, no one is questioning his ability behind the wheel. It’s the car and the hierarchy that are at fault right now. But how long will this go on and who will lead their future? These are the question Mercedes needs to answer.

Lewis Hamilton or George Russell, the question begs!

Lewis and George are the new Mercedes paring. LH44 is the 7-time world champion and Mercedes’ first driver. But as things stand, George has outperformed Lewis in all but one race. This is a troublesome prospect for the Mercedes hierarchy as their megastar is being outperformed by their young talent. This often is a recipe for a quick and unexpected change in the team dynamic and eventually the team itself. Cue Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen at Red Bull.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 10: George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes pose for a photo during Day One of F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on March 10, 2022 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Lars Baron – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

In his column, the former world champion Jacques Villeneuve writes assuringly, “Hamilton wasn’t in the right rhythm from the off this weekend. He also didn’t look aggressive enough, as if he couldn’t fight. That he ended up getting lapped, can happen. That’s the sum total of all the factors, plus the bad car. He won’t keep having such terrible weekends, and he’ll beat Russell.”

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Coming to Hamilton’s aid, he’s saying what we all believe to be true. But it’s a difficult situation Hamilton is in right now.

Where do we go from here?

That’s the question the Mercedes bosses need to ask themselves. Adding further to his thought, Villeneuve put up a daunting question. “Do you choose your megastar, your poster boy, the record-breaking champion with the international image, who costs you a mega salary?”

“Or do you develop the car for the promising talent? A big star like this is great if you win–it gets you a lot of exposure. But if he doesn’t win, the backlash is so much bigger. A champion doesn’t have the right to not be competitive.”

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No one can answer these questions right now. But eventually, Mercedes will have to address this question and decide on its future.

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